


i’ll explain the infinite (how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist)

by MoonCacti



Series: we'll find each other's arms [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, i also don't know how this got to 6k?, just plotless fluff, there's no plot to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:19:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14785965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCacti/pseuds/MoonCacti
Summary: Drizella's curse was broken. Alice & Robin had settled down and found a home together with their family. Small snippets of their future.





	i’ll explain the infinite (how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist)

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so feel free to point me in the way of any mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!!

They've been back to their own timeline for three months after Regina’s cast the last curse and has been crowned the Good Queen. It's been five months since Robin asked Killian's blessing to propose to Alice and she still hasn't done it yet. She has been caring the ring in her pocket for months now, literally, she won't leave it at home in the hopes of suddenly being smacked by some inspiration; to find the perfect moment and the perfect place to just do it.

Robin has kind of tried it four times, but every. single. time something happened just about when she's ready to go down on her knee. Her mom won't miss any opportunity to hiss at her some variation of "just bloody do it!" anytime that Alice isn't near, and Killian keeps looking at her with slightly widened eyes and head tilted in as if to ask "will you do it already?" She knows, alright!

They’re living together now. They found a small one bedroom near the woods on the outskirts of Storybrooke, Robin doesn't hate it so much anymore, mainly because there are so many people going to and fro from all the other kingdoms around that is hard to keep track of everyone else's lives and the gossip has plummeted a lot. Storybrooke is not so much the quaint little town it used to be anymore.

Alice and Robin have officially settled down. That's not to say they don't have plans to travel all around the world together sometime in the future, but for now, they’re happy staying put in one place, life is good like this. They’ve been apart for almost three years, even if they didn’t realize that they were missing each other at the time, and for now, they refuse to spend anytime apart. There are still lots of catching up to do. And Killian and Alice have a lifetime of being apart, close but never close enough, to make up too.

Killian got himself a place not too far away from them and he stops by almost every day for brunch or lunch or dinner or to play chess or simply to just be near. Zelena is back to the farm and happily married, she poofs herself on their porch at least once or twice a week. In the end, she didn't have to choose between her fiancé and her family; she told Chad the truth, the whole truth, the bad and the ugly; he left her for a week and then came back again. Then he came with them back to the future too. They had a small wedding ceremony, with only the closest people to them, and now that they’ve settled down too, Robin hasn’t seen her mom so happy like this since forever.

Now, with the sheer amount of people living nearby all small business were forced to expand, hire more staff, open new franchises, Storybrooke became its own sort of a big city to be able to accommodate so many people moving in around.

Alice got a part-time job at Granny’s; she waits tables and mans the counter, she is an all-around sweetheart and most of the costumers love her. Hook (not Killian. That's how people differentiate them, besides the obvious fashion choices and the fact that Killian chose to keep his prosthesis instead of going back to his hook) doesn't work at the station anymore, what with Hope now and the fact that that more people have applied for the job so he simply doesn't have to. Killian is the new temporary Sheriff while Emma's is still on maternity leave, a good choice since he is the only person around that has any experience with the law at all, and Robin herself is working part-time as his deputy, although she refuses to use any other weapons that aren't her bow.

Robin gets to live together with the love of her life and just be disgustingly domestic with her. So far they haven't had any major villains trying to destroy their little corner of the world, anything is about as good as it can be. So, why can’t she just propose to the woman she wants to spend the rest of her life with?

***

One week after Robin and Alice moved in, they accidentally found something in their basement that wasn’t there when they were looking to rent the house. A chest none of them had seen before. Alice could sense its magic, but not anything bad and after staring at it for quite some time, curiosity won over caution and they opened it at last. Good thing they did it too. Inside of said chest were trinkets and belongings from their old lives at the Enchanted Forest; things from before Drizella’s curse and that they thought they wouldn’t ever see again.

The backward pocket watch Alice gave Robin. Letters they shared over years of being together. The necklace Robin bought in a fair and gave Alice. Small things they gave each other over the years. A hat. A scruffy stuffed rabbit that makes Alice squeal when she sees it. The lucky arrow Alice made from scratch and gave Robin as a gift. A book; some of Alice’s paintings too. And right there in the bottom something that makes Robin’s breath catch in her throat: a small leather pouch that she snatches and hide in her pocket before Alice has the chance to see it too.

Robin had actually given up on any hope she had of ever seeing it again.

Alice’s gasp breaks Robin out from her own thoughts and she looks up, frightened that Alice saw what she just did. But Alice is reaching for something behind the chest; she searches for Robin’s eyes, smiles that crooked smile of hers that never fails to make her fall a little bit more in love with Alice every day. She has even forgotten that Alice was gasping at something when her girlfriend produces a bow from behind the chest. Her bow!

And just like she’s squealing like a child and tackling Alice to the floor to hug her closely. She wonders what she is going to do with so much happiness inside herself.

***

Robin is watching her girlfriend from the kitchen doorway; Alice didn’t hear her come in and she should probably say something as to not startle her, but for some reason, she looks so beautiful right now. She always looks beautiful, Robin muses to herself. But there’s something special about a just woken Alice. Her hair is more mussed than usual and she is wearing an oversized hoodie that belongs to Robin and looks even bigger on her, stopping just an inch above her knees and her green and red socks are just about the most adorable thing in the world.

Alice is mixing something in a bowl, her back to Robin and none the wiser to her audience. She is humming a song under her breath and Robin can hear the radio somewhere, playing low and... yeah. Robin can understand why people often say she is a lovesick idiot, but she can't stop herself from being so enamored with the sight of her soon-to-be wife (if she ever gets to ask her, that is.)

The early morning sun is coming from the kitchen window and now Alice's hair looks like it is literally glowing, and Robin’s heart feels strange, good strange, inside her chest, like her love and adoration are so much that she can now physically feels it inside herself too. She briefly wonders if this is because of true love magic or if her love is just that big. Really, it feels like at any moment it will get so big that it will start pouring out of herself.

Yep. She truly is a lovesick idiot.

She couldn’t care less.

Robin is still leaning on the doorway trying to be silent, but she can’t stop the yearning sigh that leaves her. Alice doesn't stop mixing whatever is it that she is cooking, she just looks over her shoulder at Robin, her smile so big that it looks like her face is going to break if it stretches just a little bit more.

"Morning, love" is what she says and Robin is filled with so much warmth that she thinks she could live in this moment forever, just looking at her love. But better than to look is to touch and with three large steps, she is right behind Alice, her hands slipping under her hoodie to hug her middle and push her body against Robin’s, her nose finding that perfect spot just under Alice's ear. She just closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, inhaling her in.

"Did you just sniff me?" Alice asks, her voice so light. She stops what she is doing to hold Robin’s both hands and press herself even further in her love's body.

"Yes." Robin's voice is muffled against Alice's neck and she can't help but nest on her love’s neck, her eyes are closed and every part of herself is enveloped by Alice's warmth, her smell, and her love, and Robin wonders if it’s possible to spend the rest of her life inside this moment, in this place, she'd be happy to. She just wants to press herself to Alice and hold her forever, and even then she thinks they still wouldn't be close enough. Alice giggles, light too, and so carefree that Robin can practically taste her happiness in the morning air, she can’t help but think that her laugh sounds like magic.

Robin knows that at some point in the immediate future she will have to let go, move a few steps away so Alice can finish whatever it is that she is cooking. They both have to eat at some point too, but for now, they will just stay exactly where they are.

The night before, when Robin was sure Alice was fast asleep, she dug the leather pouch from the drawer she had hidden it, opening the cord with slightly trembling hands and pouring its contents in her other hand. The ring is just as she remembers it. It’s made of white gold, the band being uneven and wave-like with handmade engravings that made it look like the bark of a tree and a small diamond on top.

She had seen a man selling the ring at a tavern and immediately fell in love with, back then, she was barely thinking about proposing yet, but she knew she had to get that ring. Robin didn’t have anything close to the amount the man was asking for, but not one to be easily defeated she finally managed to strike a deal with him. And so for the next year, she compromised on a weekly delivery of game to him. Yeah, it was worth it.

So, she has the perfect ring again. Now she just needed to actually propose to her girlfriend.

***

Robin has a plan.

It was a great plan if she said so herself.

In two weeks it would be Alice birthday and she was going to propose. Finally.

Robin was going to take Alice to see the troll. Their troll. The troll they had fallen in love twice in front of. They were going to fly to Seattle and have a picnic, and she was going to give her a brownie with a single candle, just like she did all those years ago the day they met, then she was going to go down in one knee and propose. She even wrote down what she was going to say. If felt good to have a plan.

***

Hyperion Heights changed a lot since they last saw it. It may have been months for them, but in reality, it had been more than a decade now that they are back in the right timeline. Roni’s bar became a posh restaurant, there’s a lot more buildings around, new people and business too. Alice is glad to see that Lucy’s garden is thriving though, and the pop-and-pop bookstore is now being run by the owner’s daughter.

Mr. Troll is looking weathered, but he’s still standing tall, just as Alice remember him, his one eye still shining when the light caught it.

“Hello, old friend,” Alice says softly and Robin squeezes her hand briefly. “Robin has brought me to see you. I’m glad she did.” She pauses to gaze lovingly at her girlfriend, and Robin can’t stop herself from bringing her closer and embracing her, tucking Alice’s head under her chin and turning so the both of them could look at him. “I know that for you it has been a lot of time, but for me, it has been just a few months. But a lot has changed for us too. Oh! I have lots of good news to share with you!

“I can finally be close to my papa without causing him pain now. And Robin and I are living together too. I have a lot of people now; I’m not all alone anymore. Robin and I haven’t had a lot of adventures for now. But that is good too. Things aren’t so madder anymore, but still curiouser; different. Good different. The best kind. Because now I have everyone I love around me. I just wish that Regina could’ve brought you too when she brought all the realms together.”

Sensing that Alice was getting a little bit upset, Robin squeezed her tighter against herself and took over.

“Hello, Mr. Troll. How have you been? I guess I’ve never thanked you all those years ago, have I? First, for saving Alice from that tower; then for bringing us close too. And again, you still kept her company when I wasn’t here for her after the curse.”

She extricated herself from Alice and turned so they were both looking at each other, taking a hold of both of her girlfriend’s hands. The basket she brought for the picnic forgotten at their feet. She had a plan. And a speech she rehearsed in front of the mirror in their bathroom for the last couple of weeks. But this was it, the moment she has been waiting.

“You know, Mr. Troll,” she started, speaking directly at Alice. “I have an ongoing list of all the things I love about Alice.”

“Robin, wh-” Alice tried to interrupt, but Robin cut her off before she could even form a sentence.

“Just let me do it, okay? I promise you'll understand soon.” At Alice’s nod, she kept going. “I have a list in my head, and every now and then I add something new about Alice. First, I love her accent. It's somehow alike my mom’s and Killian's in a way, but it's also so uniquely Alice too. The way she forms her words, I could listen to her talk nonstop about anything and everything forever and never get tired of it. And don't even get me started on the way you say my name, no one else says it the way you do.” She shifted, apparently forgetting that she started this conversation speaking to Mr. Troll.

“I can't explain it. And I love your crooked smile too, like it's the single most charming smile in the whole world, and the way that it lights up your whole face and everything around you. I'm just so glad to be caught in your light. I love the way you smell too, I can't also explain it, but you smell just like the perfect summer day; warm and bright and full of life. I love it that you ramble when you get excited or nervous and I love your quiet wisdom too; the way you always know the right things to say to make anything better. The way you look at the world around you in a way no else has ever considered to.

“I love how you didn't give up on me even when I was so awful to you when we first met; I love how you looked past all that and saw me beyond that as someone worthy of your love. How lost was I when we met and how you showed me the way home; how you made me see things so differently after. I love the world you show me through your eyes and how so much more beautiful it is. I love every single little thing about you, even when you are moody and grumpy too” She pauses a beat to let out a chocked laugh, a couple of tears making her way down her face and realizing that at some point Alice started silently crying too.

“I'm not saying I love you because any of this; I could go on and on forever about all the things I love about you.” She took a deep breath. “But the thing is, I love you because I love you, there's no reason to that beyond love. I love you.” Robin let go of Alice’s hand, her own reaching into her pocket to retrieve the ring, Alice’s own widened eyes showing that she caught up on what was going on.

“I love that I get to say that you are my home and how, if you say yes to this, I get to be your wife for the rest of my life. So.” Another deep breath. “Alice Jones, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Everything seemed to slow down after that. Alice was full on crying, her hand covering her mouth. She slowly knelt down too, taking Robin’s face in between her hands and using her thumbs to wipe her tears. Robin shifted her face to kiss Alice’s palm, and then laughed shakily at her maybe-fiancée. Now, if only Alice would actually say something. “I was kinda expecting an answer, maybe.”

“Of course, love. Of course I will marry you. Yes.” Alice said oh so softly, and then laughed brightly making a few people on the sidewalk that were watching holler at them in a friendly manner as if they were celebrating too.

***

Alice and Zelena have known each other for years, after all, she and Robin had been dating for years before the curse was cast, but until now they haven't really had the opportunity to actually bond, not the way Robin has with Killian anyway. And there's really no excuse for that, of course, they knew each other, they had conversations and Alice had even had lots of sleepovers at the farm, and Zelena have always loved the girl, really, she even frequently made lots and lots of the orange marmalade that the girl seemed to love so much. Anyone that can make her Robin happy like that, it’s a good person in her books. And yet, they don't really have much of a relationship between the two of them beyond what they share with Robin. But, better later than never and Zelena is going to fix it now.

She happens to know that Nook, or rather Killian (even Rogers) as he prefers to be called now (bloody hell, anything but Nook!) is covering a shift at the station until late at night, so he won’t be over so soon, and Robin is out in the woods practicing with her bow. After having not touched one for almost three years, she wants to be as sharp as she used to be as soon as she’s able to; she keeps saying that she has to build back her strength, as if she had noodle arms now. Usually, Alice goes with her, the two of them preferring to spend as little time apart as possible. Killian says that they’re still in their honeymoon phase after being away from each other for so long but Zelena just thinks that they will forever be like that (just look at the other two idiots, disgustingly in love still after so many years). She doesn’t think that they will ever change. She hopes they don’t.

So now, this is her chance. To talk to Alice and bond with her. Her motivations may come from just a tiny little bit of jealousy from watching the relationship her daughter and Killian have, but deeper than that, she just genuinely wants to be close to the woman whom soon will be her daughter-in-law.

Alice, Robin told her, is staying at home to prepare dinner for them both. Robin says that they have established a date every Thursday, where they usually have a special dinner or go out somewhere or have an adventure or something stupidly romantic as they’re prone to do. And today Alice is cooking an honest to god homemade meal for the both of them. From scratch!

Zelena doesn’t bother knocking, as she and Killian picked the habit of doing, and comes in to find Alice in the kitchen staring at the oven like it was something from another world, might as well be for her. Alice was a decent enough cook at the Enchanted Forest, but her cursed persona never even learned to cook in this modern world.

"Hello, darling," Zelena says to Alice’s back, and to her credit she doesn't even startle, just turns around and smiles brightly at Zelena. "Zelena, hi! Uh, Robin isn't home, she..."

"Oh, no, I know. I came to talk to you."

Zelena moves to set the jars of homemade marmalade she made down in the counter and steps ahead to hug her future daughter-in-law.

"Me?"

"Yes, you, darling. Robin tells me that you were cooking dinner and I thought that maybe you wouldn't mind another set of hands to help you…” Zelena trails off at the deflated look on Alice’s face “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong… is just. Is just that I wanted to cook something special for Robin; Snow even loaned me a cookbook and I found a really nice recipe but, I still have no clue on what I should do and Robin is going to be so disappointed and-”

“Okay. Let’s calm down here a little bit. Where you really going to follow a recipe from a book?”

“Well, I do want the meal to taste nice, don’t I?”

The idea of Alice of all people doing anything by the book was quite hilarious if Zelena was being honest. “Good thing I came by then isn’t it? I’m sure the both of us can come up with something.” She pauses for a bit. “And if I were you I wouldn’t worry too much, Robin will love whatever is it you do for her”

Zelena subtly pushes the cookbook out of the way, she knows Alice is being uncharacteristically serious about this, and she can’t help but think that there’s something more to this than what Alice is telling her.

The both of them, together, come up with something they both know Robin will love, and despite not being the greatest of cooks, Alice still is the one doing most of the cooking, Zelena watching closely and instructing on what to do. After most of the food is seasoned and either in the oven or simmering on the stove, the two of them finally has the opportunity to talk about something not food related.

“Thank you, Zelena. For helping me I mean. I don’t think this would have turned out so lovely if you weren’t here”.

“Oh, hush,” Zelena says feigning coyness, she is actually incredibly proud of herself right now. “I’m sure you would have come up with something just as perfect on your own too, darling.” She pauses for a beat, thinking about what she wants to say next. “Just know that I’m here for you too, alright? I want you to know that you call me whenever you need something, be it just help cooking or maybe if you feel like you want to talk, I want us to be friends, Alice”

“Thank you, Zelena. Again. For what you’ve just said now.” She is smiling her crooked smile, the one that can disarm even the grouchiest of people. “But I thought you and I were already good friends” And that’s what makes Zelena laugh, happy and content with herself, they were in fact _bonding_ , she beamed.

They were both silent for a moment, basking in the atmosphere and enjoying the smells that were slowly starting to make their way from the kitchen to the living room.

“Zelena” Alice starts so softly that it immediately catches Zelena’s attention. “Well, since you are here, I thought that maybe you could help me with something. Uh, something else, I mean”

Zelena perks up at that, sensing that this was the true reason Alice was being so nervous. “Yes, of course. What is it, darling?”

“Uh.” Alice was suddenly looking anywhere but at Zelena for some reason. From the corner of her eye, she could see the girl fiddling with the ring Robin had given her a couple of days ago. “Well, you know how Robin gave me the most perfect ring, right?” She extended the hand with the ring in question in front of herself as if to prove her point, smiling slightly at it. Zelena could relate, she knew the feeling well. And even she couldn’t stop herself from admiring it every time she looked at it too. Maybe because there, right in Alice’s hand was the proof that her baby was all grown up or maybe because it reminded her that her daughter had found a love so pure and beautiful and was ready to be with her forever. Whatever that reason was, it certainly would be a long time before she stopped smiling when she thought about it.

“So, I was thinking that maybe I could get her a ring too.” Alice continued when Zelena failed to give her an answer out loud. “I know she got mine when we were still living at the Enchanted Forest, and I’ve been looking around to find one just as perfect but I can’t seem to find the perfect ring for her too!” She stopped to catch her breath. “So, do you think you could help me with that too?”

“Oh, honey.” Zelena lifts her hand to clutch her chest and scoots closer to Alice on the couch, squeezing the girl’s shoulder with her other hand. “Alice, I’m sure that Robin will love whatever ring you get her. But, I do understand what you mean, and I just happen to have the perfect solution.” She smiles wickedly and waits for the question she knows will come next.

“And what is that?” Alice tilts her head in confusion and curiosity.

Smiling even wider now, Zelena fishes her phone from her pocket and opens an app. “Google. So, what is it exactly that you are looking for?”

Over the next 40 minutes, both women pour over a dozen of rings on Zelena’s phone, none of those seem to catch their attention, not one they can agree that‘s perfect for Robin. When the oven pings in the kitchen, Zelena gets up to check on the food, insisting that Alice should keep looking at the rings on her phone.

The next two engagement bands she looks at are just more of the same, but the next one looks kind of promising, still not perfect, but she has the feeling that she’s getting there. Clicking on that rings leads her to another page and that’s when she sees it.

“This is it! This is the one!” Alice jumps from the couch and runs to the kitchen, barely avoiding crashing on Zelena. “I found it! Zelena, I found the one!” And then just unceremoniously shoves the phone on Zelena’s hands, hopping from one foot to another, not managing to keep still now that she found it.

Zelena, on the other hand, just stares quietly at the phone, her hand founding her chest again before she looks up and smiles fondly at Alice. “Indeed. This is the perfect one.”

“So, now. How do I buy it?”

Zelena looks down at the phone again, scrolling until she finds the price. She looks at Alice and then at the phone again. “How about instead we just do this.” She extends her hand in front of herself and closes her eyes in concentration. Alice stares quietly in wonderment as a cloud of green smoke appears at Zelena’s hand and in the next second, there rests the ring.

“Oh.” Alice holds the ring in between her fingers as if it’s the most fragile thing in the world. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Zelena.” And as much as Zelena hoped to bond with Alice today, she didn’t expect for it to happen so fast, not that she’s complaining or anything, she is happy to share this moment with her soon to be daughter-in-law. She also didn’t expect to be engulfed in a tight embrace in the next second too, but she can’t deny that she is enjoying this new found closeness with Alice too.

Zelena leaves a couple of hours later, after helping give the food the finishing touches it needs and setting the table while Alice got ready in the other room, Robin would be home soon. Before poofing herself from the kitchen, she quickly hugged Alice again, giving the shaking girl a reassuring squeeze in the shoulder. “Now, now. Don’t you worry too much about it, okay? Everything is perfect and Robin is going to absolutely love it. Oh, and don’t forget to call me later. I want to hear all the details. Ta-ta.” And with a wink, she was gone. Just in time too, as Alice could hear the front door opening and Robin calling for her.

***

Robin comes in to find a silent house, which is kind of weird but not so much. She takes off her boots and her coat at the door and leaves her bow and quiver there too. Walking quietly on her socks through the small hallway to the living room.

"Alice?"

"In the kitchen, love."

The thing about their house is that it is very small, just a tiny little bit bigger than Alice's cabin back at the Enchanted Forest used to be; but is just perfect for the two of them. The kitchen and what they call the dining room (it’s just a small round table for 6, actually) share the same room; but instead of cramped the whole place falls just on the nice side of cozy.

Robin sees the table first, set nicely for two, not in Alice’s usual style. There's a bowl with salad in the middle and a jar of water, a bit to the left there's a basket with garlic bread and a place reserved for something else. There are a few spare candles lighted in a few places and the lights are diminished, making the whole atmosphere romantic and inviting.

Robin's eyes find Alice leaning against the counter, watching her taking in the room. Her usual crooked smile, the one that makes Robin want to kiss her senseless, in place. The only thing betraying her fiancée's nervousness being the hand fiddling slightly with her engagement ring.

Robin can’t stop the smile forming on her face at the scene.

With only three steps she finds herself right in front of Alice, one of her own hands coming to stop Alice's fidgeting one and the other one coming up to cup the side of her face. Another small step and she is close enough to kiss her love, and what started as a small peck becoming something less chaste when Alice's hand comes to cup Robin’s face while the other one finds its place holding the hair in the back of her neck.

They both come up for air at the same time, still not putting any distance between their bodies or their faces. Alice is the one to rub their noses together in an Eskimo kiss, her hands still playing with Robin's hair. "Hello, love." Is what she says, her words tickling Robin's lips and making her smile.

"Hi." It's the breathed answer.

They are both content staying close like this at the moment. Robin is the one to break the silence this time though. "When you said you wanted to cook for me, this is certainly not what I was expecting." She kisses Alice again just because she can.

"Did you like it?"

"I love it."

"Good." Alice kisses her again, this time much too quickly for Robin taste, slowly separating their bodies and pushing Robin in the table’s direction. She even pulls the chair, making Robin smile that small, adoring smile of hers that makes Alice’s heart melt.

Alice moves to get something that looks suspiciously like a lasagna from the oven and Robin can't stop the eyebrow rise. "When did you learn to cook this?" She asks not unkindly.

"Today! Your mom came over and she helped me with everything." Alice answers her brightly.

"My mom? What did she want?" Alice serves them both a big helping of lasagna and some salad before sitting down beside Robin and smiling at her.

"She came for me.” She beams. “We spent a very nice afternoon together and talked a lot while she helped me."

"You and my mom? Really? That's suspicious but nice, I guess. I'm happy you two are getting along. At least she didn't bring the baby photos, right?"

"Oh. That reminds me! She did mention bringing them when she comes over for dinner next Friday." And just like that, she is laughing happily. Yeah, Robin's own embarrassment is worth it if only to her Alice laughing like that.

They talk about their days while eating. Robin talks about how her practice went; her cousin tagged along and she tried to teach him a few things but he is just hopeless. The lasagna actually tastes delicious, Robin complimenting it at least five separate times during the meal. When they are both full, Robin insists on taking their plates to the sink while Alice gets up to get the dessert.

The dessert turns out to be a single bowl of ice cream for them to share, covered in an (un)healthy amount of sprinkles and gummy bears. Halfway through their bowl of ice cream, Robin can see Alice getting nervous again, for some reason, she keeps stealing glances at robin's face and fidgeting with her spoon instead of eating.

Robin waits a few more minutes to see if she will say what's on her mind before placing her own hand over Alice's fidgeting one, to stop her movement and get her attention. At this point their chairs are as close together as they can be, Alice's leg thrown over Robin's, but still, she tries to scoot closer. "What's wrong love?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Yeah, that doesn’t sound like nothing is wrong actually.

"This evening has been perfect, Alice." Robin squeezes her hand. "Tell me what is making you nervous, love."

Alice takes in a deep breath as if it to draw in some courage too. She puts one hand in her pocket but doesn’t move to get away. “All I ever wanted in life was to be free.” Alice starts softly, looking directly at Robin now. “And although I’ve left my tower, I was still living inside it. It wasn't until you found me that I truly understood what being free meant. I once asked you what was the point of being free if I was all alone, and I remember you telling me that I wasn’t, that you were there with me and I am so glad that you haven't left my side ever since. It was you all along; through the bad and the ugly and the madness. It was always you. I've traveled to so many worlds before meeting you; I was looking for a place to belong and you are the one that taught me that home is not always a place. I love that I got to fall in love with you twice at the same place. I love you so much. And I love that soon you will be my wife too.”

Robin is crying again; seems like she’s been doing it a lot the last couple of days; but then again, so is Alice.

Alice takes her hand from her pocket slowly; Robin can’t see what is hidden on her palm. Alice is taking her hand now. “I know you’ve been planning that proposal for years, and I love the ring you gave me so, so much. I thought that maybe you would like one of your own too.” She smoothly slides the ring on Robin’s finger and smiles at her love admiring the band on her hand.

It’s a simple titanium band with hand engraved mountains on the side, but Robin can’t look away from it, her breath caught on her throat. “I love it, Alice. I love it so much. Thank you, love.” She finally looks up, catching the adoring look on her fiancée's face.

Alice’s forehead tips forward to rest on Robin’s, bringing their joined hands to her lips and kissing the ring on her love’s finger.

Again, Robin is the one to interrupt the quietness, with a laugh this time. “I wasn’t actually expecting this too.”

“I know.” And that only made Robin laugh louder. She separated their faces only to catch Alice’s lips in a fierce kiss, the kind that can’t get too deep because the both of them are smiling too much for it to be more than their teeth clashing. Alice is the one to break the kiss, resting her face on the space between Robin’s neck and shoulder.

“Now we should call your mother.”

“What?”

“She told me to call her later and tell her how it went. Now is later.”

Robin’s only answer is to choke a laugh.

***

That night, after they finally manage to untangle from one another, Robin is laughing at Alice. "Really, are you going to call me Nobin now?" She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. Alice's hand comes to push a lock of Robin's hair behind her ear.

"Yes. You can pretend you hate it as much as you want. But I know you. And you will always be my Nobin." Robin laughs freely at that and the most comfortable of silences envelopes them both. Alice's hand is now softly caressing Robin's face, but Robin can see that she is staring at something else, precisely at the ring on her finger.

Robin is the one to break their quiet this time. "Did you even imagine that we’d be here now, back when we met?" Her own hand taking Alice's and bringing it to her lips to press the softest of the kisses on her fingers.

"Do you mean when you had an arrow pointed at my face?" Alice laughs and Robin smirks.

"You know what I mean."

Alice looks at her then, her eyes serious, like she is trying to commit every single piece of Robin to her memory. She scoots even closer, tangling their legs and pressing her forehead against Robin's. "I did. Not exactly like this, I mean. I imagined us living at the cabin, back at the Enchanted Forest, you and I. And Papa would come around often too. And we would grow old together and have lots of adventures too. But, before that, I kept imagining what it would be like having you around all the time and being able to kiss you and hold your hand or just have your head rest on my shoulder. That was even before I got the guts to kiss you, mind you." She lets out a happy little sigh, her breath tickling Robin's lips.

"I imagined this too. Us, I mean. That first day, I just hoped you would forgive me for the stunts I pulled. And after that, when you showed me that you didn't want me to go away and never come back; I hoped that it would be like this forever."

"All I ever wanted was for you to stay."

Robin's only answer is to pull Alice impossibly closer and deposit a content kiss on her lips. 

Yeah, life was good like this.


End file.
